Mehmet Ergezer teaches computer and data science at Wentworth Institute of Technology in Boston. He also works in the tech industry. Through both of his jobs, he’s seen the growing pressure to use AI tools.
“It is definitely used as a way to increase productivity for the existing engineers,” he said. “If there’s something that maybe you could do in a few weeks, you can do it in a couple of days now with the use of AI. That means they can give you more tasks to do.”
In the classroom, Ergezer said new technology has changed how he teaches too. When chatbots first arrived, they couldn’t handle his homework problems.
“So I was like, ‘Yay! It’s smart, but not that smart,'” he said. “But that changed in months.”
AI is transforming entire industries, from software development to construction management to architecture. Now, Ergezer and other professors are racing to keep up as artificial intelligence disrupts the entry-level job market. Openings are shrinking in fields most exposed to automation, including software development, social media and coding.
To prepare students for this brave new world, colleges are rethinking what — and how — they teach. And for schools like Wentworth, eager to prove their value as more families are questioning whether a college degree is still worth it, part of the answer is a new degree in applied artificial intelligence that will launch next fall.
“We recognize you’re here to get a job,” said Mike Farmer, chair of Wentworth’s computer and data science department.
He said he started noticing a shift last year, when postings for entry-level tech jobs began dropping fast. Instead, employers increasingly want candidates with experience developing chatbots and machine-learning systems.
Farmer, who wrote his first machine-learning algorithm in the 1980s, is cheering on the industry’s increased focus on AI.
“I’ve been watching wave after wave, and now... it’s more of a tsunami than a wave at this point.”
Wentworth hopes its new AI degree will act as a kind of surfboard to help students ride that tsunami, by giving them hands-on experience with a wide range of AI tools. The school’s program will also emphasize ethics, teaching students when and how to use AI responsibly and ethically.
“Students really want to go into the workplace equipped,” said professor Ella Howard, who developed a new course called “Responsible Uses of Generative AI” that will be part of the new degree program. “They really want to know the tools and be able to compete for positions in those fields.”
Wentworth is not alone. At Miami University, business professors are “future-proofing” their curriculum, arguing tomorrow’s leaders will need both human judgment and technological fluency. And at Indiana University, all students, faculty, and staff can now take a free AI course. The university also launched a new Virtual Department of Business Technologies to encourage innovation across disciplines. In Rhode Island last year, Brown University appointed its first associate provost for artificial intelligence, a role that the Ivy League school says “provides leadership and oversight for AI initiatives across the university.”
While many Americans question the value of a college degree in this brave new AI-driven world, research from Georgetown University’s Center on Education and the Workforce finds a degree is still worth it. On average, a bachelor’s degree leads to higher earnings and greater job stability than a high school diploma.
But it does matter what you major in. The study shows college majors can change lifetime earnings by more than $1 million. STEM, business and health care fields yield the highest returns, while arts, education and social work lag behind. Students from low-income backgrounds are also more likely to land in lower-paying majors.
On Wentworth’s Boston campus, students like Ayden Palmer are grappling with AI’s power over their learning and the labor market.
Palmer, a senior from Boston, said he tries not to rely on chatbots, though, he admits, it’s tempting under deadline pressure.
“I think it’s a shortcut to learning,” he said. “You’re not learning the foundational skills that you need to become a good programmer.”
When Palmer chose to major in computer science four years ago, tech jobs were booming. Now, he’s hedging his bets by learning as much as possible about AI.
“If you can get a job designing the AI, then you know at least you’re future-proofed for a little bit,” he said, chuckling. “If you can’t beat ’em, join ’em.”
